U.S. Indies Get Grant to Boost H.K Profile

American independent film and television companies will for the first time have their own pavilion at the Hong Kong FILMART.

The Hong Kong FILMART touts itself as Asia’s World Entertainment Market which aims to promote Hong Kong as the regional hub for distribution and promote cross-media, cross-businesses partnerships.

Prewitt of IFTA said the inaugural U.S. Pavilion at the 15th FILMART in March is part of a multi-year commitment to help independent U.S. companies in a “marketplace that’s been amenable to taking U.S. products but is still very intimidating for many small companies.”

China currently limits to 20 the number of imported films that are allowed to share in the country’s box office gross, which reached $1.1 billion in the first nine months of this year. Much of that money was grossed from Hong Kong co-productions such as Bodyguards an Assasins and from Hollywood blockbusters, such as Avatar.